An earthquake swarm - a steady drumbeat of moderate, related seismic events - over hours or days, often can be observed near a volcano such as Mount St. Helens in Washington state or in a geothermal region such as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. New research led by a University of Washington seismologist shows, however, that such swarms can occur anywhere that is seismically active, not just near volcanoes or geothermal regions.

"In our research we saw swarms everywhere and we could see the broad characteristics of how they behaved," said John Vidale, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network.

NASA researchers are investigating the potential impact of climate change on New York City using computer models to simulate future climates and sea level rise. Their studies, to date, forecast a 15 to 19 inch-increase in sea levels by the 2050s that could put the city at higher risk of flooding during storm surges.

Catania, Italy- Sicily's Mount Etna, Europe's largest volcano, continued erupting overnight to Thursday with a 2,000 metre- high lava flow streaming into the valley below. The glowing rock mass was flowing, according to vulcanologists in the region, down the southerly face of the mountain. It was unclear whether a new crater had been opened or whether an old one had become active.

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, October 26 (RIA Novosti) - The Karymsky volcano on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's Far East has increased its activity, spewing ash emissions up to an altitude of around 5,000 meters (16,400 feet), a local seismology official said Thursday.